Free from France
by Bookie429
Summary: Anna Maria Chevalier is the princess of France but all she wants is to be normal. She finally travels to Tulsa for a little vacation she meets the gang and finds out that she has met the Curtis' before and they knew her mother. She gets into some trouble with the law, but how long will she be able to keep her secret from her friends. DISCLAIMER: The outsiders belongs to SE Hilton
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I threw one last punch and turned away. "Done with my training. Does that mean I can go and live on my own for a while? I am going to pack my bags and purchase my plane ticket to Malibu or maybe Los Angeles. California sounds great." I pulled my golden blond hair out of my violet eyes.

My mother came towards me. "No California. I get to choose where you go and you need to practice using conjunctions. Instead of 'I am' say 'I'm'. Got it?" I was so happy I agreed to her stupid terms and ran to pack my bags.

Here are a couple things you need to know about me. First, my name's Anna Maria Chevalier, I'm 16 1/2 and I want to be normal more than anything, second, I'm not normal, I'm a French princess. Third, I can kick ass but I look innocent that no one ever believes me except my mom who taught me everything I know. I thought I had everything perfectly planned and I was going to some sunny place or a big city but turns out my mom had a couple tricks up her sleeve. When she handed me my plane ticket I was furious. "What the _hell_ is this? Where exactly is _Tulsa_?"

"Oklahoma and it's there or nowhere."

* * *

><p>An hour later I was on a plane bound for Tulsa, Oklahoma. The good thing was that for the first time in my entire life, I was going somewhere without an entire army of bodyguards. It could have been worse.<p>

It took almost an entire day to get there and once I did arrive I realized I had nowhere to go so I just wandered around with the bag I had with me and I ended up at a DX station. I was totally tired and thirsty. When I walked in I sat at the counter. "Can I get a coke please." I asked as I heard someone come in through the back door. "Sure," they handed me a coke and I pulled out my wallet from my back pocket. I put the money and finally looked up. There was a boy who looked about my age and looked so familiar. He had brown hair and green eyes. Like he could be a prince. "Hi there, I'm Sodapop what's your name?"

I laughed at his name. "Anne. So, Soda, you know anywhere I can spend the night for cheap. My plans just fell through." "You can stay at my place, my brothers and I are always letting people stay at our house." He smiled and I couldn't help feel like I had met him before.

"Fine, what time do you get off?" I found out he didn't get out for a couple of hour. "I am _not _staying here for so long."

Before he could answer me, five guys came running in. "Soda!" The youngest of the boys looked exactly like Soda. Then there was the black haired boy who looked like a kicked puppy, the boy who looked like he had just ate a sour lemon, the blond haired guy with ice cold blue eyes. Last was the red head with a mickey mouse shirt. "Who's the broad?" The blond asked in a chilly voice.

I completely ignored him until he brushed some of my hair out of my face. I clenched my fists and bit my tongue so I didn't use my ninja skills to beat the crap out of him. "None of your damn business. Now get the hell out of my face." I hopped up. "So Sodapop, who are these morons?" The handsome blond looked about ready to rip off my head. "This is Ponyboy, Johnny, Dallas, Steve, and Two-bit. This is Anne and she's going to be staying with us." Ponyboy and Steve smiled, Johnny nodded, Dallas glared, and Two-bit grabbed my right hand and kissed it. "Lovely to meet you Anne. You have such pretty eyes. Would you be willing to accompany me to a movie tonight?" I didn't want to go with him but I had to seem normal so I had to come up with a good excuse. "Well, I don't date redheads." I hopped up, "I'm going for a walk, be back before you get off."

I was walking down the street when a lime green mustang came up behind me. "Hey gorgeous." "Go away!" I continued to walk at a normal pace, knowing that if it came to it I could protect myself… it did come to that.

The boys stepped out of the car and the three of them held me and tried to carry me to the car. "Come on princess." Being called princess really set me off. I pushed both my elbows back and hit two of the boys.I got loose and started throwing punches and kicks. I held my ground against them but I still got a split lip and and a soon to be bruised jaw. They can see that they were losing and they ran to there car and drove away.

I walked back to the DX and kept my face trained to the floor. I mumbled hello to Soda and sat down. I lifted my head slightly to see if he was looking at me and he gasped. "What happened?" "Some guys in a green mustang." He grabbed some ice and put it up to my jaw. "Hold still sweetey and I'll be off in a couple of minutes." I could feel my face getting hot and my stomach did a flip.

* * *

><p>When we walked into the house Soda put my bag in the corner. "My brother Darry should be home in a little while. I'm going to take a shower." He walked away and I went into the kitchen. I surveyed the extent of the kitchen and decided to make beer breaded fried chicken. I heard a door open and then close again. "Soda! You home?" Someone entered the kitchen and I assumed it was Darry.<p>

"Hi, I'm Anne. I hope you don't mind but Soda said I could stay here."

"I'm Darry. And if you tell me what you're making we would be happy to let you stay for a little while." He smiled at me and I couldn't help feeling a little deja vu. I played with the metal ring around like I did whenever I as nervous. "It's beer battered chicken and I hope you like it because I made enough for more than a half dozen people."

"Well that sounds great and we usually have like a half dozen people over here for dinner anyway." I could have sworn he thought I was familiar because he was staring at me like he was trying to figure out where from. I stared at him too and I wasn't paying attention to the chicken as I took it out of the pan and I got some of the oil of my hand. I started swearing loudly in French.

I look at Darry and it's as if a light goes on in his head. "Anna Maria!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"What did you just say?" I asked totally stunned and furious that he had figured out my secret so fast.

"Come on, don't you remember me? Or at least Soda? I mean you were in love with him." "What? I was in love with _who_? How did I even meet you guys?" I kept pelting him with questions and I didn't give him a chance to answer my questions until Soda came in and he said we would talk about it later.

"What's cookin'? Smell like beer." I couldn't even look at Soda now that I knew the truth. "Our guest here made beer battered chicken. Ohh and Anne you can have my room." I could tell Soda was looking back and forth between us. "No Darry. It's fine. I'll take the couch."

I finished cooking in silence and no one else talked either. Luckily the boys came home and it turned out that Johnny Steve and Two-bit were all staying for dinner. "Vive la famille royale." I mumbled to myself as everyone else dug into their food and complemented the meal. "Wow Anne, this is the best thing I've ever tasted. Where'd you learn to make this?" Two bit acknowledged making me blush. "My mother made it once a long time ago when some…" I trailed off and I suddenly knew where I knew them from.

"A, are you okay? You look kind of pale." Soda asked me. I looked at the ring on my finger and then to Soda's hand and I saw a silver ring on his own finger. _They were the reason my mother made this. They were my mothers friends family that she always talked about. Darry was right, I had been in love with Soda. _"I'm going for a walk." I stood and walked out the door. Thoughts streamed through my mind landing on a single thought _I can't stay with them anymore _and then it went to a different thought: _My mom sent me here for a reason. _I ran back to the house as fast as I could, tears coming down my face. My vision blurred and I was barely able to stumble into the house.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Steve yelled as I fell on the floor. I grabbed his shirt and wrapped my arms around him, putting my face on his chest. We just lay there with my face buried in his shirt and him with an arm wrapped around me. Suddenly I just jumped to me feet, tear marks on my face. "Where's the phone? I need to call someone." Steve pointed to the phone next to the couch. I dialed my mother's number.

"**Bonjour, maison royale.**" A voice came from the other side of the line. Translated to 'Hello, royal household.'

"Bonjour madame, je voudrais parler à la reine. Dites-lui que ce est sa fille."I told her which translated to 'hello madam, I would like to speak to the queen. Tell her it's her daughter.'

"**Hello, my darling! How are you liking it down there? Have you made any friends?**" That was the point when I started swearing at her in French until she gasped and I told her I knew why she sent me here and not to California and how I was furious with her."**My darling, I'm sorry. But, I thought you deserved to have fun with your old friends**"

"Mère au revoir. Je vais appeler si je ai besoin de vous." I spat into the phone. (translates to 'goodbye mother. I will call if I need you.')

They were all staring at me. I blushed. "I can't believe it!" Two bit managed. I gulped. "Please tell me you don't speak French." "No but how do you know French?"

Before I could answer Steve spoke. "I think the better question is what was that all about."He saw my confused look. "We tried complimenting you about the food and in the middle of a sentence you went pale and took off. A few minutes later you come back crying so hard and then you freak and make a phone call in French and I assume you weren't saying anything nice to whoever it was."

"I wasn't saying anything nic and I was speaking to my mother. I was crying because of the guys in the mustang and the phone call was because I was supposed to call my mother hours ago." They were still giving me skeptic looks and I knew Darry could tell I was of a sudden I was super tired and everything just went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I woke up in a messy room. It wasn't a dirty messy it was covered in book messy. I got out of the bed and almost stepped on a sleeping Pony and Soda.I crept into the kitchen. It was Saturday so Darry and Soda didn't have to work and they were all asleep. On the couch was Dally. "Hey." I greeted him. "Hey Anne. I heard about your evening last night. Are you feeling better?" I wondered about the concern that I noted in his voice because I could tell from his eyes that he was a person who didn't often express sympathy for others. "I'm fine. I was just upset with my mother. She was keeping something from me and pretending to be on my side when she was plotting against me." I was furious at my mother. "So, you want some breakfast. I saw some chocolate cake yesterday and I think now is the perfect time." Dally laughed a kind laugh, "You'll fit in here just fine. The curtis' eat chocolate cake every morning for breakfast." He got up from the couch and cut us each a slice of the cake. "So Miss Anne, tell me a little about yourself." I picked up my fork to take a bite of my cake but then put it down. "Well, I've always wanted to do this." I picked up the cake in my hand and took a huge bite of it, getting chocolate frosting all over my face. "Other than that, what do you want to know."

Dally wiped one finger across my nose, scraping of chocolate icing and put it in his mouth. "Where do you come from? What do you like to do? Where did you learn to speak French?" I laughed at his wide array of questions. "I'll make you a deal. We take turns asking each other questions. For every question you answer you get to ask one of your own. I'll start, Where do you come from?" I asked jumping right in.

"I come from New York. And you?" "I'm from France which is where I learned French before I moved and since that answers two of the questions you posed I get a question for free. What happened to you in your childhood that hardened you?"

"I was arrested at age 10, I had to harden myself to survive. Have you ever been arrested? Since I already answered this question this is like a freebie for me." I continued to eat my cake with my hands. Yes I have been arrested and since I feel like being nice, the first time I was arrested it was for punching a duke in the face. I don't feel like being asked anymore questions so… here." I pushed the rest of the cake into my mouth and wiped the rest of the icing from my hand to Dally's face. "Aren't you just full of surprises."

Just then the rest of the gang, besides the boys asleep in the other room came barging on and slammed the door. Two bit cracked a grin, "You guys have a little stuff… here." he gestured to our entire faces."What happened to you guys?" "Anne is a messy eater and she put this on my face after I was shocked that she got arrested for punching a duke...in the face." Steve was practically rolling on the floor with laughter when the curtis boys walked in. "Hey Darry, Soda, Pony."

Soda kicked Steve. "Hey buddy. What's so funny?" Steve is able to stop his laughing long enough to spit out the words. "Anne… arrested… punch...duke...face."Evidently they understood because they stared at me while Darry, who knew the truth about who I was, wasn't all that surprised.

* * *

><p>Over the next couple of weeks I continued to have a growing crush on Soda and Daly and I became good friends. We were at Dingo's and Dally was in a fight with some soc, which the guys had explained the concept about along with greasers. The fuzz showed up and dragged Dally in. I disappear into the background and run home to the curtis'. No one's home so I run to the corner and grab out my wallet with the money my mom gave me to cover my expenses for the summer. I barely spent any of it so I still had like a couple thousand left over that was supposed to be going towards rent someplace. It took me a while to find the police station because I hadn't been there during my time in Tulsa. I strode in and went straight to the desk. "Hello ma'am," I greeted the desk clerk. "A friend of mine was brought in here earlier today and I am here to pay his bail. His name is Dallas WInston." The woman behind the desk snapped her head up from her work. 'Yes of course. I'll go get an officer for you."<p>

A moment later when an officer came out I approached him. "Yeah, I'm here to put bail for Dallas Winston. How much will it be." I ended up paying $200 and an hour later Dally was walking out of the station."Where the hell did you get the money to bail me out? Please don't tell me you got a loan from someone." " Don't worry the money was all mine But I need to ask you a favor." "You just got me out of jail. Your wish is my command."I realized if I lived under the same roof as Soda for much longer I would give into the crush I had on him and I couldn't do that. "I want to stay with you." "I'd be willing to do that but are you sure you want to live at Buck's?" I nodded and Dally walked me home so I could get all of my stuff.

I left a note on the couch for them to find. It read _Dear Darry, Soda and Pony, Thank you for letting me stay in your lovely home for the last couple of weeks but I have decided that it is in my best interest to move in with Dally at Buck's. I will still see you guys around. Love, Anne._

I hadn't been to Buck's before but it smelled like smoke and stale alcohol. It looked horrible but it was going to be my new home. "Hey Buck, can you show Anne to my room. She's going to be staying with me for a little while." Dally called over to the bartender. "So little lady, are you Dal's new broad?" Buck asked. When he smiled at me he was missing his front two teeth on the top. "I most certainly am not. I just needed a place to stay and Dally owed me after I saved him from going to jail." Buck, who was now taking a shot, nearly spit out his drink.

"You bailed him out? Now a days even for the smallest crimes he gets big fees. Where did you get the money for it and why did you spend it on him?" I gave a small chuckle and rolled my eyes at him. "I never said anything about paying anything. I can be very convincing." Buck looked impressed and he walked up the stairs, down the hall and to the fourth door on the right. "Here, your luxury suite, princess." I clenched my fists. "What's wrong princess? Not good enough for you?" I turned to him and pulled back my arm before letting it go and getting him right in the face. "It's fine but don't call me princess or I'll give you an actual punch and you won't be missing just two teeth." Buck laughed before turning on his heels and walking out the door.

I had nothing better to do so I left a note on the bed telling Dally I was going out and locked the door behind myself with the key Buck had given me. I walked to the DX for a Pepsi and to tell Soda I wouldn't be staying with them anymore. I wouldn't tell them that it was because I was afraid I would fall in love with Soda but I would tell them where I would be staying. When I walked inside there was someone at the counter talking to Steve and he didn't look too happy. The boy had dark curly hair and blue eyes filled with a murderous look. He had a menousing scar much like the one I had given to a kid I used to go to school with who had made fun of me. "Hey Steve!" I greeted plopping down in the seat next to the boy. I could tell he wasn't as tough as he liked to think he was. "Well hello beautiful! How'd you like to go to a movie with me?"

I just glared at him and turned back to Steve. "So, I wanted to say thanks for the other week and this is kind of a late thanks for acting so weird. I was just having a hard time with my mother. Anyway, is Soda here?" The boy looked disappointed that I had been there to see Soda and had rejected him. "Back there. This is Curly Shepard, by the way."

"Ce est un plaisir de vous rencontrer . Je suis effrayant ." He said with a bow. I just laughed at him. " Do you know what that means." when he shook his head I continued. "It means it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm creepy" he laughed too. "You know what. I would love to go to a movie with you. Meet me at Dingo's at 8. I got to go talk to Soda." I could feel Steve staring at the back of my head as I walked into the garage.

Soda's face lit up when he saw me. "Hey Annie. I was just thinking of you." I gave a weak smile. "Uhh, you didn't happen to see the note I left you?" When he shook his head I started to explain but before I could, Pony came through the door at full speed. "Soda! Anne's gone. She left a note saying she was going to be staying with Dally!" That was when he spotted me and tried to speak, but Soda beat him to the punch. "What the hell do you mean you're staying with Dally, and at Buck's no less."

"I just can't stay there anymore and Dally offered to let me stay at his place so I decided to move in with him for a little while. I don't like to stay in one place for too long. Anyway, I'll still see you all the time but I have to go." I took a long walk back to Buck's and pulled on some short jean shorts, a red tank top and an old leather jacket that my mom gave me when I was younger. I walked down to the bar. The truth was that I have been drinking since I was 9 but that was only champagne and wine, occasionally some beer so I knew how to hold my alcohol but I still like to have some hard liquor because I don't want to be like every other stuck up royal and it wasn't like I wasn't aloud. In France I was above the drinking age.

"Yo Buck. Irish whiskey." I sat down at the bar. He just laughed. "I don't think you can handle it. You don't look like you could handle it." "Just give it over. I know what the best drinks are and I may never have had anything strong but I know what I can handle." I got my drink and in one swig I had downed it and was ready for another one. He poured me three more before cutting me off. "You've had 4 drinks. I can't believe you're not completely and totally drunk. Just pay the $20 and go sleep it off." I gave him the money and stood up completely unchanged. "Bye Buck. Got a movie to catch with Curly." I went to leave but he caught my wrist with a tight grip. "Curly Shepard? You shouldn't go out with him this drunk. He could take advantage of you." I was completely unfazed. "I'm not drunk. It was just a couple of drinks but thanks for your concern." I went for the door and I bumped into Two bit. "What are you doing here dressed like that?" He too wouldn't let me go. "Would everyone stop being so concerned? I was just leaving to go to a movie with Curly and I'm here because I live upstairs with Dally and I was getting a couple shots of whisky." I brushed past him and out the door. Two bit came running after me. "At least let me drive you wherever you're going." I told him where to drop me and we drove the rest of the way in silence.

Curly was waiting for me when I got to Dingo's and I told him I wasn't hungry. I felt uncomfortable around him. "Hey, I have a question. Are you drunk?" I turned to him as we climbed over the fence to get into the drive in theatre. "No I'm not drunk." "Oh, I thought I'd ask cause you smell like whisky and for most people a shot of that will make them drunk." I smiled at him. That made me feel better. "I had 4 shots of Irish whisky before I was cut off and I am still sober as hell." We sat in the seats near the front and I didn't see anyone I knew. Someone approached us with a bottle in his hand. "Hey Shepard. Who's the broad?" He slurred. "name's Anne. Is that tequila?" When he nodded I grabbed the bottle from him and took a swig. It tasted delicious. "How much do you want for the rest of the bottle." There wasn't much left so I got it for only $10. I didn't remember much of the movie because I didn't pay much attention but I didn't think Curly was paying much attention either.

After the movie he walked me to Buck's thinking I would be too drunk to make the journey on my own but yet again I wasn't drunk. I sat down in the same spot I sat earlier that night and handed the bartender the empty tequila bottle. "Can you throw this bottle away for me?" I got up to walk away when I spotted Dally shooting pool. "Hey Dally." Dally wasn't very happy to see what I was wearing and he could tell I had a couple of drinks. "How much did you drink?" He asked angrily. "Calm down, it was just 4 shots of Irish whisky and a third bottle of tequila." "How the hell are you even able to walk? Come on let's get you up to the room." I let him carry me even if I was more than capable of walking. That was the last thing I remember before everything went dark, Dally's smell of hair grease, cigarettes and cologne lingering in my nose.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

When I woke up I was laying next to Dally and he was asleep. I crawled out of the bed and realized I didn't even have a headache. _How could all those drinks not leave me with a hangover?_ I took a quick shower and pulled on shorts, a mickey mouse shirt and my leather jacket. I put my cash in the pocket and walked down stairs. "Hey Buck, do you have a car I can borrow? I'm tired of walking everywhere." He reluctantly handed over his keys and pointed to the red thunderbird outside. "Just don't damage it and you can borrow it more often." I hopped in the front seat and drove to the only place I could think of, the curtis'. Everyone looked happy to see me except maybe Steve but he never seemed happy. It felt awkward, my being there, so I pretended I was looking for Dally because he owed me money because I had lent him some the previous night. "I'm surprised you could remember with how much you had to drink. I hope you drank lots of fluids after those shots." I smiled real big and in a voice that sounded like spun sugar I said "Of course I did Two bit. I washed it out of my system with some tequila." "You shouldn't drink so much. It's bad for you and really dangerous to be drunk around here with all the Socs." Soda warned. "I wasn't drunk. I have never been drunk and I can handle myself against Socs. What are Socs?" "There are two groups, socs,and greasers. We're greasers because of the hair and Socs are the super rich kids." I knew I was a Soc but I didn't want to add another difference between myself and my friends. Soda could sense the tension rising in the room. "Hey Anne, you want to go for a walk?" Without waiting for an answer he dragged me out the door.

"Why do you feel the need to drink so much." He asked quietly. "I drink because I like the taste because I never feel the consequences of being drunk." "I don't like the idea of you drinking as much as Two bit said you did and if I asked Dally I'm sure he noticed you being drunk last night." He cleared his throat and changed the subject. He grabbed both my hands and pulled me towards him, "You know, I really like you." Soda leaned in and kissed me, pressing his lips on mine, filling me with warmth and hatred. I pulled away from him and ran like my life depended on it. I ran back to the room and curled up on the floor crying. Dally chose that moment to come into the room, right when I was at my worst.

Dally walked across the room and put a comforting arm around my shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong princess?" For the first time in a long time the term 'princess' didn't bother me. I couldn't believe _Dallas Winston_ was being nice to anyone. "Soda kissed me." I managed in barely more than a whisper. He looked confused. "I thought you liked Soda. Why are you crying if someone you like kissed you?" "Because Dally, that makes it so much harder for me." He still looked confused so I gave more details. "Don't you get it. I can't be with him so his liking me makes it harder." "Why can't you be with him?" I turned away.

"Because Dallas. I have a fiance."

**I do not own the rights to ****The Outsiders****, SE Hilton does**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Dally was extremely entertained by the fact that I had a fiance but didn't say anything. "Come on princess, you can't be scared to face Soda." He pulled me to my feet and I realized that would have to go back anyway because Buck's car was still there. I wouldn't walk even when Dally tried dragging me so he picked me up in his arms and against my will, carried me to the curtis'.

"What the hell happened?" Soda asked jumping up from his place on the couch and rushing over to me. "Nothing happened but Dally won't let me go to bed this early so he dragged, or rather carried, me here." I slumped onto the couch and curled up with my head on Steve's lap and whispered in french, "I have a fiance." I knew they didn't understand me but it felt good to get it off my chest. Two bit walked in with a beer in his hand and turned the tv on to mickey mouse. I grabbed the beer from his hand and took a big drink from it. I continued to lay on Steve, not wanting to get up. I finally fell asleep with Steve's hand on my shoulder.

"_Anna Maria! Get away from him right now. You know you can't kiss any boys besides Asher." My mother scolded me. I had been 12 at the time and I had tried to kiss one of my old classmates who had the cutest dimples and teal eyes. "But mother, I don't love Asher and he hits me. He tried to rape me and I was barely able to fight him off. _

_Asher was 6 years older than me but since before my birth I had been betrothed to him. When we had been little we had been best friends but then he changed and got cruel and mean. "Don't lie to me darling. We both know Asher would never hurt a fly! Now go to your room."_

_When I got to my room Asher was there and he grabbed me and threw me on the bed. He ripped at my clothes and used his knees to hold me down. I punched him as hard as I could and he jumped back. "HELP! Someone help!" _

I woke up to someone shaking my body and I began blindly throwing punches. "Calm down Anne, you're fine." Soda's voice brought me back to reality. I was covered in sweat and I had been grabbing my own wrist so hard I had drawn blood. Pony had run off and returned with a first

aid kit and began to wrap my wrist. "Do you want to tell me what that was about?" Steve asked, rubbing his own wrapped arm. "It was nothing. Sometimes I have nightmares about when…" I had to think fast and said the first thing that came to my mind. " I was jumped. I got pretty badly hurt and sometimes memories just come back." I cleared my throat. "I'm kind of hungry, can we go to Dingo's.

* * *

><p>I sat in a booth with Two bit, Soda, Pony, and Steve and I contemplated my true relationship with my mother. Then it dawned on me. She had finally agreed I was ready to go out into the real world because she realized what a threat Asher really was. He had raped and beat me and a few months ago she began restricting my contact with Asher and telling me I was closer than ever to being able to live on my own. My mother may have sent me here to be with the curtis' but she also sent me here because it wasn't likely that I would see Asher while I was here and I would be safe. "I'll have a pepsi and a burger." I told the waitress after everyone else had ordered. "Anne, when you first came here, you said your original plans had fallen through. But I don't think that was the truth. Who was it that hurt you? Was it your family? A boyfriend?" I swallowed hard. Maybe it was time to come clean about everything. "I… I…" I began but I couldn't finish that thought because I was too focused on who had just come into the diner. "Are you all right? You just turned as white as a sheet. I had to think on my feet. I needed to get away before he spotted me. "I have a question? If a Soc was hiding from another Soc, where would they go to hide?" They looked at me strangely but eventually, Steve answered.<p>

"I would go to Buck's." "That's genius. Now I need you to do something for me." I pulled some money out of my wallet and handed it to Soda so he could pay once I had left and they had finished their meal. "I need you to act natural. Someone in here is following me and I need to get away from them. I'm going to hide at Buck's. Don't tell anyone besides the gang where I'm going. Do not follow me and we can meet up later. I need you to eat at a normalish pace and get out of here as fast as you can. Be careful." I slipped out of the booth and out the door. I couldn't believe Asher had been standing there in the flesh with black hair and vibrant seemingly innocent eyes. I shuddered at the thought of what he would do to me and I sped off to Bucks.

**Disclaimer: The outsiders is property of SE Hilton and only my characters belong to me.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am going to start in Soda's point of view**

Chapter Six

Anne had moved so fast she was gone in the blink of an eye. "Guys I have a bad feeling about this." I whispered in a hushed voice making sure no one but the gang heard me. "Relax, she'll be fine and remember, we need to act natural." Two bit reminded us in an extremely calm voice.

_Who was it? Was it the waitress or the hood by the door. Was it a Soc hunting her or was it the guy who had jumped her? _A million thoughts raced through his head, all of concern for Anne.

We ate relatively quickly but not much faster than we normally did. We decided to get the burger and pepsi to go for Anne. Once we paid we walked outside and I caught glimpse of a strange guy. He was about 22 so he was older than Darry and he was dressed unlike anyone I had ever seen. I couldn't tell if he was a greaser or a soc but he sure as hell didn't look very happy or friendly.

We drove as fast as Two bit's beat up car would go but I still thought it wasn't fast enough to get to Anne soon enough.

**Anne's point of view**

I was at Buck's and evidently after the other night they refused to serve me any alcohol. Dally walked in and sat next to me at the bar and I turned to him, feeling he was the only one I could confide in. "Dally, I have a massive problem, my fiance showed up at the diner. I think he was looking for me." Dally gave me a sympathetic look. "You alright baby doll?" I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and my vision got kind of blurry. "He's hurt me Dally." Dallas just stared at me with fury building in his icy blue eyes. Fists clenched, he stood. "I'll kill the kid!" "He's not some little kid. You won't be able to beat him. He pushed me away from him as the gang comes up behind him. "Why the hell are you trying to protect him! He hit you." I glared at Dally and then over his shoulder and when he noticed who was standing behind my he looked at me with soft eyes. "I'm sorry Anne. I just got mad." Soda was first to speak. "What do you mean he hit her? Who is he?" "Anne's … uhhh… boyfriend." Dally finished after a short pause, trying to find a better word to substitute iance with. "So that's why you got mad when I kissed you, because you had an abusive boyfriend. I bet I could beat him up."

"Guys! Would you guys all just calm down. I do have a … boyfriend, Asher and he is older than me and he is probably stronger. Did anyone notice you or follow you." Soda though back. "Just some black haired dude that looks like that guy… no it was that guy!" Soda responded. I whirled around and none other than Asher was coming towards me. "Go! Get out of here! I can't let Asher catch you guys." I frantically got up and walked towards my fiance. "That guys huge! Who is he?" Two bit asked. "Asher's my boyfriend." They just stared at me in astonishment. "Look guys, I'm the only one who can protect me." but it was too late, Dally charged at him and without effort, flipped Dally over on his back. Ash grabbed my wrists. "Come on, let's go." He demanded. "Ash, I have always been the perfect little angel that my mother taught me to be and I have always been fine with our relationship and when you beat me, I held my tongue, when you raped me I restrained myself but I am sick and tired of all your crap. You are seriously messed up." That was when he took a swing at my face and the boys became enraged. "Hold back boys." I commanded as I side stepped his fist. I grabbed his elbow as it passed by me and twisted it behind his back, definitely leaving a mark. I punched his face and kicked him in his soft spot. He wasn't going down without a fight. People tried to jump in and help he, thinking I was some helpless little girl being beat up by someone much older than me but they didn't stand a chance against Ash. Then he did something horrifying, he pulled a switch and came towards me with it. I did something different, I didn't move from my spot, I just stood there as he came charging at me. Then in a firm voice I told him something that made him stop in his tracks. "Ash, before you followed my friends here, I set up video cameras and if you touch me, I will send that email to every person my parents and I know, namely your parents." He stopped just before the knife plunged into my side. I could feel the knife pushing into my skin just above my first rib. I could feel the blood begin to trickle from my stomach but he pulled his knife back and looked into my eyes, "I used to think you were the dumbest little bitch I ever did meet but by making me your enemy I _know_ you're the dumbest bitch ever. This isn't over. I'll be back for you, princess." He turned around and people parted all around for him to get to the door. I was quickly surrounded by the gang. I closed my eyes and was extremely tired. I felt someone pick me up but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes to see who it was.

**Dally's point of view**

It was one thing for her to be engaged to a guy her own age, it had happened before but she was _way_ too young. She wasn't even 17 yet and Ash looked older than Darry. I picked up Anne's body and I could see the blood dripping on the floor. She curled up in my arms and she looked too little and frail to have been through what we had heard about. She reminded me of Johnny. We decided it would be best if Anne slept at the curtis'. We took Buck's car because there was no way in hell I was going to let her ride in Two bit's death trap of a car. _Why hadn't she told the other's she was engaged? Was she hiding something from us?_ Soda rode in the back seat of the car while I drove. Anne lay with her head in Soda's lap and Soda was stroking her hair. I had to admit, Anne was a real beauty, why did every cute girl have to be so attracted to Soda. I gritted my teeth and I noticed a ring on her ring finger. It wasn't anything super expensive, just a small little metal thing but it seemed special to her. I couldn't help about everything great about that darling girl. _She was real brave to just stand there when he was going to stab her, tried to stop him with words, and it worked. _I drove pretty fast but I couldn't let the fuzz pull us over or they would for sure take her to the hospital. I pulled up to the curtis' house and I helped Soda bring Anne inside. Darry saw us and got up from his spot on the couch. "How did this happen? Everything was perfectly fine and now Steve and Anne have wrapped wrists and Anne is passed out in Dally's arms, bleeding." "It was -" When Soda started to explain but Dally stomped on his foot.

"Don't even think about it. You have to let Anne tell the story herself when she wakes up." Dally stood firm as he laid Anne down on the couch, only to have Darry lift her up and put her on Soda and Pony's bed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

I woke up in a bed that had a distinct smell that reminded me of Soda. I sat up in the bed, remembering the true first day I met the boys.

"_Anna, come down stairs and meet some of my friends and their sons." my mother had called up the stairs to me. I had never wanted to meet any of my mothers friends but when I walked down the stairs it was love at first sight when I saw the boy with the movie star grin._

"_Hello, my name is Anna Maria." I did a small curtsy in the puffy dress I was wearing and gave them one of my award winning smiles._

_The eldest boy held out his hand for me. "I'm Darrel Curtis and these are my brothers Sodapop and Ponyboy."_

I smiled remembering that moment, the moment I fell in love and the moment that Asher turned into a total jerk. I got out of the bed went into the living room. Soda was arm wrestling with Steve. I grabbed him by the shirt and pinned him against the wall. Steve began the teasing about how I was going to make out with him and without looking at him, I kicked him in the stomach. "You did this to me. You broke me. If you ever talk to me again I swear to god, I will kill you!" The gang was staring but I didn't care. If it hadn't been for him, I never would have been beaten, never raped, and Asher would still be my best friend. I punched him square in the jaw. I went for the door but Dally got in the way. "Dallas Winston, if you don't get out of my way, I will beat you up." "Calm down princess." I winced at the word princess. "I got you a present." I was in a better mood so I opened the present. It was a switchblade with a jeweled handle. The jewels probably weren't real but I loved it.

"Thanks Dal. I love it!" I gave him a small hug. "So, how did Soda break you?" Before I could answer Darry came into the room. "I think you owe me an explanation for your injuries." "Summary. Wrapped arms because I had a nightmare when I was laying on Steve's lap and I squeezed his arm so hard I drew a little blood and the same thing happened to my wrist after I had let go of Steve. When we were at the diner I saw my boyfriend and I told the boys to act natural and meet me at buck's but Asher, my boyfriend followed them and came to buck's. After he flipped Dally, I was fighting him and he drew a knife. I lied and told him I had camera's set up so if he did stab me I would send them to his parents and he ran off but the knife had already been pushing into my skin so I got a little bloody and then I came here."

Darry looked furious. "I'll kill that kid!" I looked down at the floor. I didn't know how to tell Darry my fiance was older than him but luckily I didn't have to. Pony put a hand on his shoulder. "Dar, he's not a kid. He's like 23 and a couple inches taller than you." "Is that true Anne." When I nodded he continued. "Why are you even with him? He's like 6 years older than you and from what I heard he's abusive." It took me a while to gather the courage to speak again. "He is 6 years older than me but he wasn't always like this. He was my best friend and deep down I still love him. I haven't been completely honest with you though. Asher isn't actually my boyfriend." The boys were furious, except for Dally. "Why did you tell us he was your boyfriend then?" Steve asked. Dally put a supportive hand on my shoulder. "Because, he's actually my…" I took a deep breath. "Fiance." "Why not just give back the ring?" Two bit asked. "I can't give it back no matter how much I want too." I turned and ran out the door, too fast for even Ponyboy to catch up with me.

I'm running and the green mustang pulls up behind me. "Lookie, Lookie. We've found us a girl. Why don't you just get in the car?" The driver called out the window.

"Why don't you just go to hell?" They pulled over and all four of them got out. Three from last time and one I didn't recognize. I wasn't in the mood so I pulled out the blade Dally gave me and moved towards them. The driver continued to move towards me, not believing I could use it. I plunged the knife into his chest. There was only one thought that crossed my mind. _I killed him_. The others ran off and I sank to the ground. To make my luck worse, a police officer just happened to walk by and see me with my bloody blade standing over the boys body. They grabbed my arms and pulled them behind my back. They cuffed me and put me in their car. I was brought to the police department. I was locked up and my trial was set for the next day.

* * *

><p>The next day I was walked into the courthouse like a criminal and there was only the gang there along with my lawyer and the prosecutor. The judge sat at his bench.<p>

The prosecutor looked mean as hell. "We call Anne to the stand." I walked up and sat down. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" "I do."

"Anne, how did you know the victim Mr Vacker." I didn't want to answer the question and the previous night I had planned out what I was going to say. I was going to say I didn't want to answer the question and then I would reveal my true Identity. "I do not feel obliged to answer that question." "Answer the question Anne."

I stood firm on what I had said. "I do not feel obliged to answer the question. The judge spoke. "Miss, if you do not answer the question I will hold you in contempt of court."

I laughed a cruel laugh. "You can't do that. I think the best question you should have asked what my full name was." I just sat back and waited for them to ask. "Fine, I will humor you. What is your real name?"

"Anna Maria Chevalier, Princess of France."


	8. Chapter 8

**Soda's point of view**

Chapter Eight

"_Anna Maria Chevalier, Princess of France." I can't believe Anne's a princess!_

"Case dismissed. You are all free to go." She stood and walked over to us. Darry was the first to talk to her. "I'm proud of you for admitting who you really are." I couldn't believe that he was proud of her. I gasped. "You knew who she was! You knew she was a princess."Darry slowly nodded. "Yes, when I first saw her I knew she was familiar. When she started swearing in French I knew who she was."

"Guys, I'm real sorry I lied to you. I want to explain everything to you." Anne whispered, her head down.

When we walked into the house everyone sat near the couch. "The first couple of years aren't that important so I'll start when I was 6. My mom had invited a friend of hers to France so I could meet them. I was furious about it and I didn't want anything to do with them because I thought they would be as stuck up as my mother and everyone else we knew, except for Asher. Asher and I were best friends and we were betrothed to be married. The family I met had three sons, Darry, Ponyboy, and Sodapop. I thought they were the best people I had ever met, even as great as Asher. During your stay Soda and I became best friends and Darry was friends with us too and Pony was always trying to tag along and I thought he was the most adorable little chubby toddler. I thought it was a fairytale and I was so happy. But when Soda and I fell in love we knew we were going to have to say goodbye. We were too in love to say goodbye so we decided to get engaged. We were to be married the moment we were both 18. When Asher saw Soda propose to me, that was when he became cruel. After the curtis' left to go home, Asher began beating me and when I was 10, he raped me. He was 16 at the time and even after continually beating me I still loved him. But after he raped me I couldn't stand to be around him. When I was twelve I told my mother but she didn't believe me until recently. As I suspect, that was the reason why she finally agreed to let me live abroad. For about 3 years my mother and I have had a deal that if I trained and prepared myself she would let me live abroad. The day before I met you guys, she told me I was fully ready. When I came here, I had no place to go but you guys brought me into your home, I finally felt like I had those 10 years ago." I listened with all of the others and as I did, I twisted my silver ring on my finger. I realized that it had not been my parents who had given me my ring, but by Anne.

"I think I'm beginning to remember you. I remember your beautiful laugh and cute little smile." I recalled.

**Anne's point of view**

All I had ever wanted was a family like myself but I always imagined a mother and father, maybe a sibling or two but I never imagined that family being 7 boys. I continued to stay with the boys, though I did pay my keep after the trial.

I still slept on the couch. It was mid August and I was woken by someone shaking my shoulder. When I opened my eyes Dally was standing over me. "What the hell do you want you bastard?" "Ah, is the little princess still tired?" He asked with a fake pouty trial had been about a month ago and the gang were still the only ones who knew my secret.

"Shut up and tell me what you want." I snapped. "It's almost 3 so you should get up." I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I ran to the bathroom for a quick shower. My mother sent me puffy dresses similar to the ones that I used to wear. I pulled on a sea foam blue one that came up about 7 or 8 inches above my knee. The dress only had one strap that went over my right shoulder. It was way too fancy for public but I liked to wear them around the house. I came out of the bathroom and Dally just stared at me. "Wow, you look hot." I sat on the couch next to him. "Thanks Dal. So, do you want to go do something?"He nodded but still couldn't stop staring. I put on light blue high tops. On the inside of the dress I had my mother add a pocket to carry the blade Dally gave me. Since the trial, no Socs had come up to me and I had met a few greasers, such as Tim, Curly's older brother. We went to the arcade for a little while. We played different games I had never heard of, like fighting games but I always beat Dally.

"Come on Anne, let's go to a movie or somethin." Dally suggested after being stomped at almost every arcade game they had competed at. I laughed but agreed. We got to the drive in theatre and a realization had dawned on a Dallas. "You can't go under the fence in that dress." I laughed before grabbing the fence and climbing up to the top. After balancing on the top and showing of my skills of walking on the top of the fence I turned and did a swan dive flip before landing on my feet. I looked at a shocked Dally on the other side on the fence and couldn't hold back a laugh. "Wow Dallas, you should see the look on your face. Dally jumped the fence less gracefully than myself and we went to the front to find some seats. The movie was Psycho, which is one of my all time favorite movies of all time. It was a couple of years old so I had seen it so many times I practically knew the entire script. I got up in the middle of the movie and went to try to scare someone. I spotted Two bit's car and decided he would be the perfect target.

I squatted by the door behind the passenger seat and grabbed a rock.I threw it hard at some cans in front of the car and Two bit got out of the car, playing right into my plan. I quickly climbed into the back of the car. That was when I spotted Steve and Soda coming back to the car with popcorn and beer. Two bit got back into the car and I was so silent. I probably had a couple minutes to scare him because Soda and Steve had stopped to talk to someone. After a scary part in the movie I could tell Two bit was freaked out and I took that opportunity to lock all the doors. I cackled, "You're never getting out of here." Two bit screamed so loud and the other boys came running over.

"God, Anne. You scared the crap out of me! How did you even get in here." Two bit barely managed between deep breaths. By now Soda and Steve were there trying to figure out why he screamed. I was sprawled in the back seat with an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "It would spoil my fun if I told you how I got in." I hopped out of the car with a grin on my face. "Hey darlin' s" I nodded to the other boys. I turned back to the car. "I didn't realize you found this movie so scary." I turned on my heel and went back to sit with Dally.

When I sat next to him I leaned on his shoulder. He smelled like beer but I didn't care. I just lay there until someone tapped on my shoulder. When I turned around Tim's face was inches from mine. "Hey baby, what are you doing with someone like Dallas. Why don't you just come with me."

I gave him a smile spun from sugar and climbed over the seat I had been sitting in. "Well okay, handsome. Let me hold your hand." He handed me his hand and I turned around, pulled it over my shoulder and flipped him onto his back. "Sorry, you're not my type." I climbed back over the seat and settled in. I just couldn't sit still though. _In two days I was going to be enrolled in a real public school again. I haven't been in one of those since I was 13._ Dally walked me back to the curtis' gave me a goodbye and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Anne, wake up! It's the first day of school and you don't want to be I wore jeans and a blue shirt. I wore my leather jacket over it. Steve drove Two bit, Pony, Johnny, and I to school and I walked into the office. The secretary just sent me into the principal's office. "You must be Miss Anne Chevy." I nodded. "Yeah. I was told to come in here to get my schedule." They handed me my schedule and sent me off to class. I had History with McHanes. I walked into the class full of anxiety. When I walked in, all attention turned to me. "You must be Anne. I'm Mrs McHanes. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself."

"I grew up in France. I've been arrested more than a few times and I'm well educated in most academics." I was told to sit in a seat next to a black haired kid. He looked so familiar. "Hey, my name's Ash, cause of the hair." He looked like Asher and had a similar name. "As you know, I'm Anne." We talked quietly until he asked an incredibly rude question.

"Are you a Soc or a Greaser." He asked. "I don't believe in categorizing myself by how much money I have. But I feel that the people who distinguish themselves as greasers are more my style than the socs." He didn't say much after that, not that I minded. I had Steve in my math class and Johnny in my english class. Two bit was in my PE class and evidently I was in French with Steve, Two bit, Johnny, and Pony. In PE we were running the mile and I may be a little bit faster than other girls.

"Ready, go!" The coach yelled. Everyone took off running. I started in the back and I increased in speed until I was ahead of everyone else. I continued on to lap everyone. I finished my mile with barely a bead of sweat on me. I was alone until people started to finish. Two bit sat down next to me on the bench I had chosen to wait on. I pushed him with one finger. "Stinky boys sit on the ground." I joked when I pushed him off the bench. He saw I was joking but before he could do anything the teacher came over to us.

He held out his hand. "I'm Coach Despero. With a mile time like yours you could be my star track runner." _More like Coach Desperate. _"I'm sorry but I don't really like participating in things like that. I'm not a very social person." I got up but the coach continued to try to reason with me. I wanted to rid myself of him so I did some gymnastics flips away from him and called back to him, mistaking one word for another, "I told you,Coach Desperate, I'm not interested in being a runner. I have other plans." It was true I had other plans like finally ridding myself of life as a princess. After all, it would only be another like two school years before I went off to college. By now, most of the class was staring and I wasn't sure if it was because of the perfect gymnastics flips I had just performed or because I had just called our teacher 'desperate'. He eventually admitted defeat and went off to bother someone else.

Two bit just smirked at me, "Well, I don't know what's more impressive, those flips or the fact that you didn't get detention." I gave a small laugh. "I never get detention no matter how much I try. And it's not because of my family but my teachers just always feel like going easy on me." "You have got to teach me how to get out of detention some time." I felt really comfortable around the boys now that they knew all my secrets.

But French had been my favorite period of the day. I hadn't been able to choose my language since students who didn't sign up until the days before school started always got the last ones available. Ash was also in that class and he invited me to sit next to him. When class started, the teacher told me to introduce myself in the best French I could and then translate to English. "Salut mon nom est Anne Chevy. Je suis nouveau à Tulsa et je ne sais pas combien de temps je vais rester. Je ne aime pas que les gens sont classés en Greasers et SOC. Je aime dessiner et chanter. Pour tous ceux qui me comprenait complètement Je suis heureux et à ceux qui ne ont pas, je suis moins susceptible d'être votre ami. Hi my name's Anne Chevy and I'm new to Tulsa. I don't know how long I'm staying though." Then I sat down. "Well Anne, Thank you for telling us a little about yourself. Your French is impeccable. I would like the rest of you to turn to your partner and try to have a full conversation about anything you want. By the end of class I would like a summary on my desk about what you talked about.

I turned to Ash. He spoke first between us. (Author's Note: I am going to just cut out the French. But their entire conversation is in French.) "I'm sorry about earlier. I don't really like the Soc/Greaser conflict either but I'm not supposed to say it because it would make me a 'traitor against my kind.' The truth is that I'm a Soc and I hate it. All I have ever wanted was to get away from this society where your wealth determined who you can be friends with. I want to go to live in France, I even learned French so I could. My parents said that if I did well in all my classes I could go to France so I can see the royal wedding between the french princess and her fiance." Had I been drinking water, I would spit up all over Ash. I began coughing like crazy and the teacher gave me a glass of water. In French I asked, " Can you repeat that again?" "I said, I wanted to go see the wedding of the princess. I've always had a crush on her." This time I did spit up all over Ash. Blush came over my face.

He wiped his face with his sleeve and smiled at me. "Okay, now that you've spit all over me at my crazy ambitions and even after I told you about my crush on the princess, it's your turn to tell me all about you."

I was willing to comply but I kept the details vague. "I grew up in France with both my parents but my father was a workaholic. I had no siblings but I did have a best friend. My mother's family friends came to visit us for a time being but eventually they left. I have never been able to make many friends because my mother has always kept me to herself. When I was 13 or 14 my mother decided I should be homeschooled. I was homeschooled until this last year. I came here to get away from that life that I never felt whole with. I have been staying with some people I know and that is pretty much all there is to know about me. I assume that you heard what I said in French so there's also that." He just smiled. I knew he was a soc but he still seemed charming. "Will you go on a date with me?" I agreed just as the bell rang. I guess he really did have a crush on the princess.

Two bit linked his arm with mine. "So what was up with coughing and the spitting, not that we didn't enjoy it." I loved the guys, especially Soda, but they weren't like girls. You couldn't talk to them about boys. "Nothing." I blushed and walked away.

Ash and I were going on a date that night and he was bringing me to a fancy restaurant. I wore a casual white dress with pink flowers on it. I wore it with boots that I could conceal my blade in, incase of emergencies. I met Ash at Jay's and I climbed into his jeep. Unlike the other socs I had met, he wasn't just a douce who drove a fancy car. He obviously had money but he didn't like to flaunt it.

"So what's the restaurant called?"

"I don't actually know the name of the place, my cousin recommended it to me. He gave me the directions a while back and said he went there with his fiance. The truth is, I do have a crush on the princess of France, but she's actually marrying my cousin, Asher. Our parents thought it would be cute if we had similar names." I gasped. "Stop the car!" I yelled at an extremely confused Ash. When he didn't stop, I pushed my foot on top of his onto the brake. He stared at me like I was crazy. By that time, tears were streaming down my face like twin salty waterfalls. "Are you okay? Did I say something that offended you? I probably shouldn't have mentioned my crush on a princess." Before he could say anything else, I opened the door and bolted. I felt too embarrassed to go to the curtis'. I went to the next place I could think of, Buck's.

"I'll take the strongest stuff you've got and don't give me any of that crap about not selling to me any more. After the night I've had, I would kill anyone who got between me and my drink." I didn't even look at what drink I was given. I just swallowed it and asked for another one. "No more. She's fine." Dally's voice came from behind me. He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Hey princess. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" I smiled. Maybe it would be better to talk about it than drinking. "Can we go somewhere a little quieter to talk." He led me to his room. We sat on his bed and I told him about how I was going on a date. How Ash had brought up his cousin, Asher. How I had freaked, almost making us crash when I slammed on the brakes. By the time I finished talking it was late and I was getting tired. I drifted off to sleep listening to Dally talk about how he was going to beat the crap out of Ash.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

I woke up with my head on Dally's chest. It took me a moment to remember why I was there, then I remembered Ash and my failure of a date. I still sat next to Ash in history so there was no avoiding him. "Anne, I'm sorry about what I said yesterday but you seem off. Will you tell me what's wrong?" I sighed and made one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make. "Do you like your cousin?" "He used to be my friend and the nicest guy you would ever meet, but then like the flip of a switch he became a real ass." "Do you think he's capable of hurting someone and if you do think he's capable of hurting someone, would you still be on his side?" He looked confused but finally answered after a moment. "Yes, I think he is capable of hurting someone and no I would not stand by his side if he were to hurt someone." Tears welled in my eyes and smiled. "meet me out front at lunch. I have some important things to talk to you about." I didn't talk for the rest of the class. I moved through the motions of my classes trying to pay attention, but planning what I was going to tell Ash. During PE, Two bit was having a one sided conversation with himself, though it was supposed to be with me. When lunch came time I went to find Ash.

I turned the corner of the school to see someone holding a switch up to Ash. "Stay away from Anne or I swear I will kill you!" "Dally." I screamed

**Dally's point of view**

I waited outside the school until the lunch bell rang. Ash walked outside alone and I stormed out of the car. I approached Ash with my switch drawn. "Come with me." I dragged him behind the side of the building. I pushed my blade further towards him. I was furious that he had hurt his Anne, poor defenseless Anne. He had made her feel unsafe just as Asher had. My voice was sorta shakey. "_Stay away from Anne or I swear I will kill you!" Behind me a female girl screamed, "Dally! _Get away from him." I wouldn't back away, I just couldn't. Then I felt her hand on my shoulder. She tightened her grip until even I was crying out in pain.

**Anne's point of view**

With Dally on the ground nursing his wounds, l turned my attention to Ash. "Are you okay? Did Dally Hurt you?" I turned back to Dally and scowled at him. "I need his help to get Asher out of my life, he is his cousin after all. Ash, would you be willing to go to the diner with us to talk?"

Ash eventually agreed to come with us so that we could talk. We sat at Dingo's and I took a deep breath. "I know your cousin Asher. He used to be my friend, then he changed as you said. I recently realized that it was that it was because he was jealous of someone I know. It started with the beating. He beat me constantly when there was no one else around, but he was my best friend so I suffered through it. That went on for years, but he never left any marks visible on my face or anywhere that would be visible. As we got older it got worse." I paused, not sure if I was ready to tell the rest, but it was the only way that he could help us. Ash already looked freaked out but he motioned me to continue. Dally put a supportive hand on my shoulder until I felt strong enough to continue. "But that wasn't enough for him. He needed to mentally damage me too. When l was 10, he did something truly vile, he raped me. That was when finally began to hate him. l tried to avoid him but he still got to me. When I was 12, I told my mother about everything Asher did to me but she didn't believe me. When I was 13, my mom realized how much I wanted to live a normal life and she made a deal with me that it l trained and she thought I was ready, she would let me live on my own. The day before I came here, which was about a month ago, she decided I was finally ready. Without telling anyone I was leaving I packed my bags and my mom sent me here. I met my friends and I moved in with them. I got into some trouble with a couple of Socs who thought I was a defenceless greaser girl. the second time those Socs bothered me I was in a very bad mood because the boys hadn't taken the news that Asher had hurt me in the past. We had gotten into a physical fight with him at buck's, he had tried to stab and would have killed me, had I not threatened to tell his parents and I had caught the entire thing on a camera I had hidden. Anyway, before I had run off, Dally had gotten me a blade to help me protect myself the next time Asher came back. Well, it was the socs that had come back and I had stabbed the leader. The others had run off and I was arrested. I was sentenced to a trial and eventually I was deemed not guilty and . The boyssaid I could stay at the curtis' house as long as I wanted. My mom sent me some clothes and I've been staying with them ever since. When I started school and I met you, you looked exactly like Asher and had a similar name. It freaked me out even more when I found out that you spoke French just like your cousin. But I did feel comfortable with you and didn't even suspect that Asher was related to you until I heard you talking about you're engaged cousin with a similar name and that was why I flipped out." Asher took a while to digest the information and then it was time for us to get back to school. All I had left was French and Study Hall, both classes Ash was in.

Dally dropped us off in front of the school and we walked to French together. We both greeted the French teacher and took our seats. Two bit taped on my shoulder. "Where were you at lunch? We were looking for you but we couldn't find you." The teacher told us once again to talk to someone around us in French and I spoke in English to Two bit one more time. "I was with Ash." I turned to Ash. "Okay, I know you have a ton of questions so you can ask as many as you want while the teacher isn't in listening proximity." I could feel Two bit glaring at the back of my head but I didn't care. I needed Ash on my side. "But first, I'd like to ask you. Are you on my side?" "Of course I'm on your side. It makes me sick to know that my cousin was capable of such horrible things. How did you meet Asher?"

"I don't even remember how I met him, but when I was little, he was always there for me." I answered, choking back tears. Ash asked more questions like, 'Did you ever meet the princess?'(yes), 'Why did you let him abuse you for so long?'(he was my best friend and I loved him like a brother.), 'Why wouldn't your mother believe you?'(Everyone thought he was an outstanding citizen that would never hurt a fly). We continued like this until french class was over. We were planning to sit together in study hall, but Two bit pulled me away first.

"What the hell were you doing spending your lunch with a Soc?" Two bit demanded. "Incase you don't remember I'm the ultimate Soc and he's Asher's cousin." This just enraged the boys even more than before. "I'll kill him!" This was not going as planned. "No, guys, Ash's going to help me get rid of Asher for good." So then I had to spend study hall explaining how I had told Ash everything except that I was the princess. Steve was even worse about me trusting Ash than Two bit was. "Just chill out, I know what I'm doing." I said with no certainty, hoping I was right and I wasn't just being naive.


End file.
